7. PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT IN PEDIATRIC RESIDENTS

Abstract

Knowledge about physician burnout is vast, but little is known about professional fulfillment. It is defined as satisfaction and meaningfulness with self-efficacy at work. The purpose of this study was to examine professional fulfillment and burnout among pediatric residents at SUNY Upstate using the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (SPFI). It is a 16-item survey that has been previously validated. It has been recognized by the National Academy of Medicine as an important resource for assessing clinician well-being. The survey with additional demographic questions was distributed to residents in November 2018. Data were collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at SUNY Upstate. Residents received a unique link to the index to maintain confidentiality. This study was determined to be exempt from IRB review. 76% of residents completed the survey. Responses to many questions were similar across training levels. There is a positive sense of professional fulfillment; at least 2/3 selected moderately/very true for these questions. 92% of PL-1s indicated feeling happy at work to be moderately/very true, compared to 81% of senior residents (PL-2/3/4). On feeling in control when dealing with difficult problems at work, 52% of PL-1s said this was moderately/very true vs. 81% of seniors. At least 1/3 indicated responses of on questions about burnout. One-fifth responded they felt a lot of emotional exhaustion at work; 8% of PL-1s vs. 29% of seniors. 40% of all residents indicated they were moderately less empathetic with colleagues - 15% of PL-1s vs. 52% of seniors. This is a small sample at a single site and results may not be generalized to other programs at our institution or other pediatric programs. There are no published reports using the SPFI exclusively in pediatric residents and therefore we lack other data for comparison. We will use these results to develop resources aimed at mitigating burnout, focusing on improving empathy and decreasing emotional exhaustion. We will use the SPFI quarterly to gauge the impact of changes on professional fulfillment.